DOCSLIB.ORG

ANNUAL REPORT 2016–2017 2 Climate Generation: a Will Steger Legacy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

2016–2017 Annual Report

1

  • CELEBRATING
  • YEARS OF CLIMATE ACTION!

ANNUAL REPORT 2016–2017

Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy

2

LETTERS FROM OUR FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This past year, dramatic changes in our political system and in public
Climate change is personal, visceral, and grounded in reality. discourse have highlighted the heightened urgency of addressing climate change. We are on the edge as a human race.
With a decade of experience educating and activating leaders to engage in solutions, we are building climateliterate young people,
The U.S. administration’s

rejection of climate change and science is showing up in damaging ways, from canceling environmental regulations to trying to silence scientists. Preventing experts from expressing and bringing truths to the public is a harmful initiative. educators, businesses, and communities who are equipped to take action and inspired to lead the way in creating the resilient world we envision.

This past year has inspired immense gratitude. Our 10-year anniversary celebration last December came at a time when we needed our supporters to lift us up and carry us emotionally and financially down the long road ahead.
There is evidence of climate change all around us. This past year, we have witnessed unprecedented droughts, floods, wildfires, and extraordinary hurricanes. Climate change is no longer a concept of the projected future; it’s with us now. I’m watching West Antarctica closely, where irreversible changes loom frighteningly close. The waters around the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica have warmed dramatically over the past few decades, and the rate at which ice is melting and calving has quadrupled. If all the vulnerable ice became unmoored, it would raise the sea level by 10 feet, drowning coasts around the world.
On a national scale, we saw a continuation of climate change facts tangled up in a complex web of misinformation. For instance, special interest groups funded classroom curricula designed to discredit the perceived risks of climate change. More states pushed antiscience bills, and misinformation campaigns spread fake climate science mass mailings to K–12 schools. We also saw rollbacks to policies that would promote a just, clean energy economy at the local and federal level. The obstacles we face today mark the threshold we must cross to realize a future that supports resilient and thriving communities. This is the future we all deserve.
I’ve long believed that the fight for climate change action is a continuous struggle with ups and downs. We may feel like we’re down now, but there is no place to go but up. I’ve seen the power of the human spirit. When we come together, we can do the impossible. I believe storytelling and interpersonal conversation are powerful tactics to build public support; this approach has guided Climate Generation for over ten years and will guide the next ten. I personally have found renewed resolve and a commitment to our vision that shines stronger than ever. At Climate Generation, we rededicate ourselves to the work of uniting diverse individuals and communities around the desire to halt climate change.
As I said at our 10-year celebration: it’s easy to be hopeful when things are going well, but we need hope most when things are at their worst.

We are honored that you chose to support us. Thank you for investing in our increasingly critical education, youth empowerment, and public engagement programming.

Sincerely,
Onward,

Nicole Rom
Will Steger

2016–2017 Annual Report

3

CLIMATE GENERATION: A WILL STEGER LEGACY MISSION & VISION

Building on the experience of our founder Will Steger, polar explorer and science educator, Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy’s mission is to empower individuals and their communities to engage in equitable solutions to climate change. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Climate Generation is a nationally connected and trusted nonprofit dedicated to climate literacy, climate change education, youth leadership, and citizen engagement for innovative climate change solutions. solutions to climate change. Our vision is a world of resilient communities with

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This year we said goodbye to Abby Fenton who worked at Climate Generation for 11 years. As a founding staff member, Abby began as Education Coordinator for the 2007 Global Warming 101 Expedition to Baffin Island, coordinating our annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education before launching our local YEA! MN high school program. During her tenure as Youth Programs Director, Abby also built a robust Midwest youth program and served as the Youth Caucus Coordinator for the RE-AMP network, connecting youth to clean energy and climate policy campaigns across the region.

We welcomed Robin Thorstenson as our new Office Manager. Nicole Ektnitphong moved on from YEA! MN Coordinator and Jason Rodney joined as the new YEA! MN Coordinator; Katie Siegner wrapped up as Communications Coordinator to pursue graduate studies and Lauren Boritzke joined our team as Communications Coordinator.

Board of Directors member Tim Brownell finished his term as Vice Chair after serving three years, supporting the organization through a time of growth and transition during our name change.

We thank Chuck Bennett for his time on our Advisory Board and welcome several new members: Jessica Hellmann, Julianne Laue, Sally and Richard Leider, Judy Poferl, and Lissie Schifman.

Will Steger with staff at 10-Year Celebration, from left to right: (back) Janet Brown, Katie Siegner, Abby Fenton, Kristen Poppleton, (front) Nicole Rom, Jenna Totz, Jothsna Harris. Not pictured: Nicole Ektnitphong, Robin Thorstenson, Megan Van Loh.

Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy

4

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

DEVELOPMENT

10-Year Celebration: A Night of Radical, Resilient Hope

Less than one month after the presidential election results, our 10-Year Celebration inspired a positive, solutions-oriented wakeup call that many of us needed. Over 450 people packed Nicollet Island Pavilion, filling the space with enthusiasm and impact. YEA! MN alumni traveled back to Minnesota for the evening, education partners from around the country attended, and Minnesota business and political leaders were present. Together, the room represented a powerful array of climate leaders dedicated to realizing the just and resilient climate future that has been at the core of our organization’s vision since our founding.
We acknowledged and celebrated 10 of our partners and supporters who have truly made our work this last decade possible with the “Climate Gen 10” awards. Our youth and educators collaborated on a powerful performance piece. Hip-hop artist Dessa was our phenomenal emcee for the evening.

As a fundraising event, the night was a resounding success. We raised over $230,000 to support our programming at a critical time in the climate movement, thanks to generous donations from individuals and businesses. We are incredibly thankful for our wonderful honorary chairs, our host committee, our corporate sponsors, the businesses that donated auction items, and our wonderful volunteers for their invaluable role in the event’s success. A full list of supporters can be found in the back of this report.

New Business Partnerships Accelerate Climate Action

During the 10-Year Celebration program, Will Steger challenged attendees to “stand up, brush ourselves off,” and work together to solve this issue. Governor Dayton recommitted his administration to climate action. Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted the critical importance of this moment, saying “a kite only rises in opposing winds.” Our Executive Director, Nicole Rom, spoke of a radical, resilient hope: “hope that allows us to dig in and be the climate champions that future generations need us to be.” Our keynote speaker, Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijner, performed a powerful poem written for the evening.
In the wake of the presidential election, we saw companies step up to take the reins of climate action, locally and nationally. Several businesses reached out to us about supporting our work—a new and very much welcome trend in the current political environment we’re in. Two of our events from the past year exemplified the importance of corporate action and the power businesses have to make a difference.

2016–2017 Annual Report

5

Climate Generation staff acknowledged partners and supporters from the last decade with the “Climate Gen 10” awards.

Preserving our Favorite Things • April 2017
Climate Communications for Business • June 2017

Coffee. Honey. Wine. Chocolate. Beer. These are a few of our favorite things. But what happens when climate change bites, disrupting the land, resources, and communities that create these wonderful products. And, what can we do about it? We hosted an evening at Norway House in partnership with Peace Coffee and local growers and vendors for a night that explored these questions. Representatives from Bang! Brewing, Mighty Axe Hops, Alexis Bailly Vineyard, Peace Coffee, Manos Campesinas, Ames Farm Honey, and Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm discussed the impacts, challenges, and adaptations that each sector must navigate due to climate change.
We convened over 50 representatives from Twin Cities businesses at McKnight Foundation for a three-hour workshop on climate communications and actions businesses could take in their workplaces. Participants ranged from multinational companies like Avangrid Renewables, Best Buy, General Mills, Andersen Corporation, and Aveda to local companies like Birchwood Cafe, Rahr Corporation, and Askov Finlayson. The timing of this event felt prescient: less than a week earlier, the president announced his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. Twin Cities businesses have a long and proud history of safeguarding the special, unique environment that makes Minnesota such a great place to live and work, and that mindset was on full display during this workshop.

Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy

6

EDUCATION

Climate Change Education Program Reaches New Heights

“It was refreshing to be among people whose only agenda for talking about climate change was an honest desire to ensure a better future.”

Energy Engagement Student Internship Highlights Energy Career Pathways

This summer, eight post-secondary interns spent their days learning about energy and climate change. With majors like graphic design, urban studies, environmental studies, and engineering, these students each brought a unique perspective to the experience.

This year, Climate Generation had the opportunity to connect with educators at all levels, from the Twin Cities metro to Marrakech, Morocco.

Partnering with the MN Department of Commerce State Energy Office, this internship provided energy mentors for our students and an introduction to energyrelated careers. The main goal was to assist students in expanding their communications abilities, professional development, and leadership skills, each relating to energy. At the end of August, students worked at the Minnesota State Fair’s Eco Experience exhibit, helping fairgoers navigate which LED light bulbs fit their needs and showed them the Solar Suitability App that displays how suitable resident’s roofs are for solar.

We held our first Institute for Non-Formal Climate Change Education in March. Over 60 individuals, from naturalists to church officials, convened at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, Minnesota. The institute focused on guiding people’s understanding of climate change, how to communicate about it, and how to engage their communities in solutions.

Over 50 educators from more than 10 states convened for our 2017 Summer Institute for Climate Change Education for four impactful days. The institute gave educators the tools to integrate climate change into their classroom and culminated with a field trip to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Our work also reached Washington, D.C., through our partnership with the Lowell School. After one year of strategizing with our education staff, the 6th-grade Lowell Humanities program launched its first year of fully integrated climate change curriculum.

Climate Convening Toolkit Brings Climate Solutions to Your Community

Designed by our Public Engagement program, the Climate Convenings Toolkit is a 20+ page guide that shares essential elements for

We continued our yearly Window Into COP program by sending a delegation of youth and teachers to COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco. Regular blogs, digests, and live webinars during the COP were especially poignant this past year while the U.S. presidential elections coincided at the same time. We continue to find inspiration through the individuals and communities we work with, and we find hope in statements like this one, shared by an educator at the 2017 Summer Institute for Climate Change Education:

effective public engagement on climate change, as well as the practical tools for implementing a convening in your community.

The Toolkit is free and downloadable at climategen.org.

2016–2017 Annual Report

7

EMERGING LEADERS

“Youth Lobby Day 2017 was a light in the dark for climate issues, proving the power of youth voices on this issue and that hope remains for a bipartisan advancement of climate action in Minnesota.”

Youth Lobby Day Engages Over 200 Students in Climate Action

In March 2017, our Youth Environmental Activists of MN (YEA! MN) program hosted the 9th Annual Youth Climate Lobby Day and Governor’s Summit. Over 200 young people from 38 schools rallied together at the Capitol. They met for an hour with Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith.

Policy Connections: Taking Storytelling to New Levels

Over the last several years, Climate Generation has coached hundreds of individuals, from farmers and residents
Students shared their personal stories and climate change concerns and asked the governor and lt. governor about their visions for Minnesota’s clean energy future. Students met with over 30 legislators throughout the day and spoke at a committee hearing to defend the Environmental Quality Board. to youth and professionals, on finding and crafting their climate stories. We share these stories at public events, conferences, and in our online climate storytelling collection. Most notably over the last year, we worked with storytellers in preparation for meetings with Minnesota legislators and the National Adaptation Forum’s (NAF) Opening Plenary where an audience of over 1,000 professionals attended from across the country.
To prepare, student leaders collaborated

with partners in the Clean Energy Alliance and other groups to develop a 2017 policy platform. They created a petition calling for policies that would hasten our pace toward renewable energy, strengthen pathways to clean energy jobs for marginalized groups, and more.

“It took me a while to recognize that as a youth my voice is important and should contribute to mobilizing change. Even now, I often struggle with that and find myself constantly frustrated with how youth voices are not being valued or involved in different spaces.”

—Isabel Watson, featured NAF youth speaker
Youth took this petition to schools across the state and gathered over 1,000 postcard signatures. With training from our partners at TakeAction MN and the Sierra Club, youth leaders taught their peers how to engage in the public policy process.
These stories have become a valuable public record of our collective witness of climate change. Our hope is to continue to cultivate these stories, to empower people to share them, and to diversify the types of stories in an effort to create a broader understanding of how climate change has and will impact our lives.
Claire Mathews-Lingen, the YEA! MN student policy intern this spring, emceed the Governor’s Summit and spoke about the experience:

Climate Generation invites you to share your own climate story with us at

climatestories.org.

1,629 MILES

BIKED TO WORK BY OUR STAFF
OVER THE YEAR

163,921

website views

626 followers

education

DONORS

2,440

twitter

3,966

253

facebook

EDUCATORS ENGAGED IN OUR

5,000

TRAININGS, PRESENTATIONS, AND

new

#TEACHCLIMATE

DONORS!

850

instagram

NETWORK MEETINGS

LEEAMEDRGIENGRS

SUMMER INSTITUTE

17EXPERTS

from the University of Minnesota presented at our 2017 Summer

1,500+ students

ENGAGED IN YEA! MN

Institute for Climate Change Education on topics related to climate change

Students plugged into the program through action projects, network meetings, and campaign initiatives

TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERRED

13

PEOPLE ATTENDED OUR PUBLIC FORUM,

CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE

students from 38 schools attended our Youth Lobby Day

AGE OF ALTERNATE FACTS

170

and Governor’s Summit

200

YOUTH POSTCARDS SIGNED IN SUPPORT

50+

educators

represented 10 states

OF A MN CLIMATE

1,000+

JUSTICE PLATFORM

by the numbers

HONORARY CHAIR MEMBERS

10

10

10

“CLIMATE GEN 10”

462

276

AWARDEES

attendees

donors

ELECTED OFFICIALS ATTENDED

56

educators

2

34

youth

Custom-made beverages, created by Bent Paddle and Peace Coffee

12

&

YEA!MN alumni

year anniversary

celebration

38

board members

& advisory board members

25

69

spcoornposratoe rs

AUCTION ITEMS

HOST COMMITTEES
AND VIP TABLE SPONSORS

72

Since 2006, Climate Generation has

reached over 75,000 people

through our programming and public engagement efforts. Thank you for celebrating with us, and for everyone who made this night so special.

$213,884

RAISED

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

BALANCE SHEET

August 31, 2017

Assets

Climate Generation strives to build financial stability through multi-year and diverse funding sources.

Cash and Cash Equivalents Restricted Cash
$327,949
137,970

  • 117,281
  • Receivables

Prepaid Expenses Equipment - Net of Depreciation
8,952 4,320

REVENUE

  • Total Assets
  • $596,472

Liabilities

Accounts Payable Accrued Expenses

4%

10%

12,525

2%

21%

26,404

  • Total Liabilities
  • $38,929

10%

Net Assets

Unrestricted Net Assets Temp Retricted Net Assets
319,573 237,970

13%

  • Total Net Assets
  • $557,543

  • $596,472
  • Liabilities and Net Assets

40%

STATEMENT OF REVENUE & EXPENSES

September 1, 2016–August 31, 2017

Individual Corporate
Government Grants In-Kind

Unrestricted Temporarily Total
Restricted

Ind. Contributions Corporate
223,883 49,690
66,150
0
1,230
93,423
349,016
225,113 143,113 415,166

  • Foundations
  • Program Fees, Misc.

Special Projects

Recommended publications
  • 1 March 18, 2021 To

    1 March 18, 2021 To

    March 18, 2021 To: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm Incoming President and Chairperson of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Acting CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Dev Jagadesan Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Robin Colwell [heads of other agencies and partner institutions, as appropriate] We are encouraged by the Biden Administration’s initial steps to implement a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to the climate crisis, as set out in the January 27 “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” We are writing now to provide our recommendations on a critical piece of the international agenda described in the Executive Order — ending public support for fossil fuels around the world by “promoting the flow of capital toward climate-aligned investments and away from high-carbon investments.” We urge the Biden Administration to act swiftly to end new financing for all parts of the fossil fuel supply chain (including for gas), stop new U.S. fossil fuel support within 90 days across all government institutions, and work with other nations to end fossil fuel financing.1 As you know, averting the worst impacts of the climate crisis requires a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. There is simply no room left for new investments in long-lived carbon intensive infrastructure. Still, public agencies continue to provide tens of billions of dollars to finance and support such investments each year. This has to stop.
  • 1 October 19, 2020 to the Ceos of Major Global Asset Managers

    1 October 19, 2020 to the Ceos of Major Global Asset Managers

    October 19, 2020 To the CEOs of major global asset managers, banks, and insurers: We, the undersigned group of Indigenous women and organizations, call on your institutions to stop financing, investing in, and insuring the expansion of tar sands oil extraction, transport, and refining, and commit to phasing out support for tar sands oil. These measures should encompass both projects and the companies that build and operate such projects. The tar sands sector poses grave threats to Indigenous rights, cultural survival, local waterways and environments, the global climate, and public health. Furthermore, this year saw a significant set of losses in the oil and petroleum sector, and no subsector has had a worse financial prognosis than tar sands oil. The destructiveness of tar sands has been well-documented, and the sector’s growth has been inhibited by legal challenges, financial uncertainty, and grassroots resistance. Though governments and corporations are still calling for the expansion of the tar sands, current tar sands production is restricted by a pipeline bottleneck, which means that the future of increased tar sands extraction depends on three pipelines. With fossil fuel corporations plowing ahead with pipeline construction in the midst of a global pandemic and massive financial meltdown, we urge your institutions to immediately decline any support for TC Energy’s Keystone XL pipeline, Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline, and the Canadian government’s Trans Mountain pipeline – and to cut ties with these tar sands projects and companies. At this moment, tar sands extraction and construction poses major risks to the health of communities and workers due to COVID-19 transmission.
  • January 10, 2019 Re: Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat Of

    January 10, 2019 Re: Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat Of

    January 10, 2019 Re: Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat of Climate Change Dear Representative: On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, we are writing today to urge you to consider the following principles as the 116th Congress debates climate change legislation and momentum around the country builds for a Green New Deal. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently warned, if we are to keep global warming below 1.5°C, we must act aggressively and quickly. At a minimum, reaching that target requires visionary and affirmative legislative action in the following areas: Halt all fossil fuel leasing, phase out all fossil fuel extraction, and end fossil fuel and other dirty energy subsidies. The science is clear that fossil fuels must be kept in the ground. Pursuing new fossil fuel projects at this moment in history is folly. Most immediately, the federal government must stop selling off or leasing publicly owned lands, water, and mineral rights for development to fossil fuel producers. The government must also stop approving fossil fuel power plants and infrastructure projects. We must reverse recent legislation that ended the 40-year ban on the export of crude oil, end the export of all other fossil fuels, and overhaul relevant statutes that govern fossil fuel extraction in order to pursue a managed decline of fossil fuel production. Further, the federal government must immediately end the massive, irrational subsidies and other financial support that fossil fuel, and other dirty energy companies (such as nuclear, waste incineration and biomass energy) continue to receive both domestically and overseas.
  • December 4, 2017 Dear Member of Congress

    December 4, 2017 Dear Member of Congress

    December 4, 2017 Dear Member of Congress, Thank you for being a member of the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus. By joining, you have signaled your intent to lead Congress in bipartisan dialogue and problem-solving to address one of the most pressing issues of our time. Your acknowledgement of human-caused climate change is critical, and we appreciate your desire to bridge the partisan divide to advance legislation that will reduce climate risk. Now, more than ever, we need Congress to address climate change. This is an urgent problem. As the recent hurricanes and wildfires have illustrated, communities across the country and world are already experiencing the effects of rising seas, warmer oceans, increased drought, and higher temperatures. Failure to act will only place more families and communities in harm’s way. As members of the U.S. Climate Action Network, we are committed to building trust and alignment between our members in order to address climate change in a just and equitable way. Like the Climate Solutions Caucus, we believe that working together is essential if we want to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. In that spirit, our organizations are eager to work with you and other members of the Climate Solutions Caucus to pass legislation that: - Promotes clean energy and energy efficiency; - Reduces greenhouse gas emissions; - Begins a just transition away from fossil fuels and fossil fuel subsidies; - Fosters resilient communities; - Seeks environmental justice; and - Reflects the latest scientific data on climate change. While you will have many opportunities to demonstrate your commitment to climate action in the 115th Congress, we urge that throughout the appropriations and budget process, you vote in support of: - No rollbacks of environmental and social justice protections; - Renewable energy incentives; - Climate science and research; and - No oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Climate Change Advocacy Online: Theories of Change, Target Audiences, and Online Strategy

    Climate Change Advocacy Online: Theories of Change, Target Audiences, and Online Strategy

    Climate change advocacy online: Theories of change, target audiences, and online strategy Luis E. Hestres Department of Communication, The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA Email: [email protected] This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Environmental Politics on March 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09644016.2015.992600. Abstract Widespread adoption of the Internet has transformed how most U.S. political advocacy organizations operate, but perhaps more important has been the formation of new types of advocacy organizations. These ‘Internet-mediated advocacy organizations’ tend to have smaller, geographically dispersed and networked staffs, behave as hybrids of traditional political organizations, and emphasize the use of online tools for offline action. The climate change debate has spurred formation of many such organizations—including 350.org—that now advocate for climate action alongside legacy/environmental organizations. How do these organizations differ from their legacy/environmental counterparts? What does their rise mean for climate change political advocacy? I explore these and other questions through in-depth interviews with top online strategists and other staffers at Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, Energy Action Coalition, 1Sky, and 350.org. Interviews revealed broad agreement among Internet- mediated/climate groups regarding core strategic assumptions about climate advocacy, but some divergence among legacy/environmental organizations. They also revealed connections between these assumptions, audience segment targeting, and strategic use of the Internet for advocacy. I discuss implications for the future of U.S. climate advocacy. Presented at Bridging Divides: Spaces of Scholarship and Practice in Environmental Communication The Conference on Communication and Environment, Boulder, Colorado, June 11-14, 2015 https://theieca.org/coce2015 Page 2 of 18 Introduction In June 1988, Dr.
  • Youth Activist Toolkit Credits

    Youth Activist Toolkit Credits

    YOUTH ACTIVIST TOOLKIT CREDITS Written by: Julia Reticker-Flynn Renee Gasch Director, Youth Organizing & Mobilization Julia Reticker-Flynn Advocates for Youth Contributing writers: Kinjo Kiema Clarissa Brooks Manager of State and Local Campaigns Sydney Kesler Advocates For Youth Madelynn Bovasso Nimrat Brar Locsi Ferra Head of Impact Design & Illustrations: Level Forward Arlene Basillio Contributing Artwork: AMPLIFIER Special thanks to AMPLIFIER, Cleo Barnett, and Alixandra Pimentel for their support and input. This guide was created by Advocates for Youth and Level Forward, and is inspired by the film AMERICAN WOMAN. Advocates for Youth partners with youth leaders, adult allies, and youth-serving organizations to advocate for policies and champion programs that recognize young people’s rights to honest sexual health information; accessible, confidential, and affordable sexual health services; and the resources and opportunities necessary to create sexual health equity for all youth. https://advocatesforyouth.org Level Forward develops, produces and finances entertainment with Oscar, Emmy and Tony-winning producers, working to extend the influence and opportunity of creative excellence and support new voices. We take great responsibility for our work, using film, television, digital and live media to address inequality through story-driven, impact-minded properties. https://www.levelforward.co/ AMERICAN WOMAN is a film that raises questions about power: who has it and who doesn’t, and how best to change that. It challenges us to question the ways people wield power, grapples with the choices presented to both the powerful and the marginalized. The story’s center is a young pacifist whose violent activism has sent her on the run from the law, and who is wrestling with her choices as she joins a cohort of young radicals and their kidnapped convert.
  • February 17, 2021 Dear President Biden and Vice

    February 17, 2021 Dear President Biden and Vice

    February 17, 2021 Dear President Biden and Vice-President Harris, Congratulations on securing the people’s vote. As you know, your election is a testament to the tireless work of many people who believe a better world is possible and necessary. This is why we are calling upon you and your administration to walk the walk of real climate leadership. We, the undersigned public-interest organizations, represent millions of people across the United States and around the world who demand a climate just future, including youth, women, low-income communities, racially diverse communities, faith communities, and others. The people who voted for a better future are now ready to demand it from your administration. Amid a climate emergency that is wreaking unprecedented havoc, we write to you with an urgent request that is vitally important. We applaud your stated intent and action for the United States to rejoin the Paris Agreement at the earliest possible moment. We also call on your administration to go far beyond simply rejoining the 1 Paris Agreement and commit to honor the US’ Fair Share ​ in addressing the climate emergency. This ​ commitment to Fair Shares is already included in the Democratic Party’s Platform. To follow through, this will require bold, equitable and ambitious emissions reductions and a commitment to support less wealthy countries to do the same, including providing a significant amount of climate finance, far more than we committed to under the Obama administration. We commend your promise for this nation to become a climate leader. In addition to ambitious domestic action, this will require the US to take responsibility for its historical role in international climate policy and become a truly trusted partner, not on behalf of polluters but of people.
  • A New Global Paradigm

    A New Global Paradigm

    A New Global Paradigm: Understanding the Transnational Progressive Movement, the Energy Transition and the Great Transformation Strangling Alberta’s Petroleum Industry A Report for Commissioner Steve Allan Anti-Alberta Energy Public Inquiry Dr T.L. Nemeth April 2020 Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 2 List of Tables .................................................................................................................. 2 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3 II. Background/Context ................................................................................................. 5 III. Transnational Progressive Movement..................................................................... 12 A. Definitions .............................................................................................................. 12 B. Climate Change Rationale for Revolution .............................................................. 17 C. Global Energy Transition ........................................................................................ 27 i. Divestment/Transforming Financial Industry ............................................. 31 ii. The Future of Hydrocarbons ....................................................................... 40 IV. Groups Involved.....................................................................................................
  • Fertile Ground: Women Organizing at the Intersection of Environmental Justice and Reproductive Justice

    Fertile Ground: Women Organizing at the Intersection of Environmental Justice and Reproductive Justice

    FFeerrttiillee GGrroouunndd:: WOMEN ORGANIZING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE By Kristen Zimmerman and Vera Miao Fertile Ground: Women Organizing at the Intersection of Environmental Justice and Reproductive Justice By Kristen Zimmerman and Vera Miao ©2009 by Movement Strategy Center Commissioned by the Ford Foundation Printed in the U.S.A., November 2009 ! is report was commissioned by the Ford Foundation through a grant to the Movement Strategy Center (MSC). It was researched and prepared by Kristen Zimmerman and Vera Miao with support from MSC. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors and MSC and may not necessarily refl ect the views of the Ford Foundation. ! e Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofi t grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offi ces in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. All rights reserved. Parts of this summary may be quoted or used as long as the authors and Movement Strategy Center are duly recognized. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purpose without prior permission. SUGGESTED CITATION: Zimmerman, K., Miao, V. (2009). Fertile Ground: Women Organizing at the Intersection of Environmental Justice and Reproductive Justice. Oakland, CA: Movement Strategy Center. For information about ordering any of our publications, visit www.movementstrategy.org or contact: Movement Strategy Center 1611 Telegraph Ave., Suite 510 Oakland, CA 94612 Ph.
  • Inclusion of Nationwide Moratorium on Electricity, Water, Broadband, and All Other Essential Utility Shut-Offs As Part of Next Covid-19 Rescue Package

    Inclusion of Nationwide Moratorium on Electricity, Water, Broadband, and All Other Essential Utility Shut-Offs As Part of Next Covid-19 Rescue Package

    April 13, 2020 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Chuck Schumer Speaker of the House Minority Leader United States House of Representatives United States Senate Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Majority Leader Minority Leader United States Senate United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Re: INCLUSION OF NATIONWIDE MORATORIUM ON ELECTRICITY, WATER, BROADBAND, AND ALL OTHER ESSENTIAL UTILITY SHUT-OFFS AS PART OF NEXT COVID-19 RESCUE PACKAGE Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, and Leader McCarthy: On behalf of our millions of members and supporters nationwide, we, the undersigned 830 organizations—including utility justice, civil rights, energy democracy and justice, environmental justice, conservation, faith, labor, health advocate, consumer advocate, and legal educational organizations—urge you to implement a nationwide moratorium on the shut-offs of electricity, water, broadband, and all other essential utilities as part of the next COVID-19 rescue package. Further, while a nationwide moratorium provides a necessary temporary respite during this COVID-19 crisis, it does not tackle the systemic issues driving these all-too-common utility injustices across America. We therefore urge you to invest significant stimulus funds into long-term solutions, including funding and financing for distributed clean energy systems and funding for percentage-of-income payment plans for municipal water systems, broadband, and other utility services, which enhance the long-term energy, water, and utility resilience for all communities, in particular low-wealth households, communities of color, and tribes across the country. While we thank Congress for the CARES Act’s inclusion of important paycheck and eviction protection measures, the act unfortunately failed to include any moratorium on shut-offs of the basic utility services that families need to survive and protect themselves during this health pandemic.
  • Youth Leadership and Youth Engagement in Climate and Biodiversity

    Youth Leadership and Youth Engagement in Climate and Biodiversity

    Youth Leadership and Youth Engagement in Climate and Biodiversity The need for wellbeing, resilience and mentoring support for the environmental youth movement Research Summary for The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation March 2021 Written by Mareike Britten and Danielle Deane-Ryan Contents 1. Background 2 2. The need for wellbeing and resilience support 3 2.1. You cannot walk away from an existen�al threat – even if it is overwhelming 4 2.2. The need for community 4 2.3. Burnout and stress 4 2.4. Structures and prac�ces to achieve transforma�onal change 5 3. How the field has been responding 5 3.1. Organisa�ons providing wellbeing services/training to young environmental 5 ac�vists 3.2. Organisa�ons working with environmental youth that have integrated 7 wellbeing prac�ces in their wider programmes and approaches 3.3. Wellbeing prac��oner networks/organisa�ons suppor�ng 8 ac�vists/changemakers 4. Recommenda�ons 9 5. Conclusion 10 6. ANNEX 1: Organisa�ons Providing Feedback 12 7. About the Authors 13 Youth Leadership and Youth Engagement in Climate and Biodiversity The need for wellbeing, resilience and mentoring support for the environmental youth movement “There is no separation between taking your seat and taking a stand”1 Jon Kabat-Zinn 1. Background In the past few years, the world has witnessed the rise of a growing youth movement demanding change in response to the scientific consensus on the urgency of tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and the lack of truly transformative action by governments. These young people have been successful in elevating both climate and biodiversity issues to the top of the national and international political agenda2 while highlighting the root causes of environmental, social, racial, and economic injustice that have triggered these crises.
  • The Case for a Just Transition MICHELLE MASCARENHAS-SWAN

    The Case for a Just Transition MICHELLE MASCARENHAS-SWAN

    CHAPTER 3 The Case for a Just Transition MICHELLE MASCARENHAS-SWAN In 2009, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project 1 co-led a dele- gation of U.S. grassroots groups to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Appalled by the failure of the “Big Greens” to address the root causes of the climate crisis, in 2010, these groups brought oth- ers in to form what would later become the Climate Justice Alliance. The purpose was to join forces to leverage the power these community-based organizations had been exerting to stop or reduce the harm from min- ing, refining, transporting, and power generation operations in their own communities and tribal lands. To scale up their power to stop the growth of the dirty energy- fueled economy, grassroots community organizations would unite across the chain of destruction and chain of custody of those operations, while at the same time providing critical leadership for a transition to just and regenerative economies. In 2012, the Climate Justice Alliance officially launched the Our Power Campaign to unite communities on the front lines of the struggle around cultivating such a “just transition.” Just transition is a framework for a fair shift to an economy that is ecolog- ically sustainable and is equitable and just for all its members. After centuries of global plunder, the profit-driven, growth-dependent industrial economy is severely undermining the life support systems of the planet. An economy based on extracting resources from a finite ecosystem faster than the capacity of 37 ENERGY DEMOCRACY the system to regenerate will eventually come to an end—either through col- lapse or intentional reorganization.